Amazon's Prime Program Faces FTC Trial Over Alleged Deceptive Practices
Amazon is set to face a Federal Trade Commission trial over allegations of deceptive practices in its Prime membership program, with proceedings scheduled to begin on September 22, 2025.
Amazon is scheduled to face a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) trial on September 22, 2025, over allegations that the company employed deceptive practices to enroll consumers into its Prime membership program and made the cancellation process intentionally difficult. The FTC's lawsuit, initiated in June 2023, accuses Amazon of using 'dark patterns'—manipulative user-interface designs—to trick consumers into signing up for automatically renewing Prime subscriptions. The agency also alleges that Amazon's cancellation process was intentionally complicated to deter subscribers from ending their memberships. In a pre-trial ruling on September 18, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge John Chun found that Amazon violated the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) by collecting customers' billing information before fully disclosing the terms of the Prime membership. The judge also indicated that two Amazon executives could be held personally liable if the FTC proves its case during the trial. Amazon has denied the allegations, stating that it clearly discloses key terms such as pricing and automatic renewal during the enrollment and cancellation processes. The outcome of this trial could have significant implications for how online platforms handle subscriptions and consumer consent, potentially reshaping the digital economy and strengthening consumer protections against manipulative design tactics.
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